________________
106 / The Rāstrakūtas and Jainism
4.9.8.1. The post-obitum epitaph of Indra-IV dated C. E. 982, composed in standard Sankrit language, erected on the crest of Candragiri hill at Śravanabelagola, may have been authored by Somadēvasūri; circumstantial premises lend support to this conjecture.
4.9.8.2. Scholars have lauded Sõmadēva profusely with encomiums worth quoting : 1. "The Yaśastilaka is in itself a work of true poetical merit,
which nothing but the bitterness of theological hatred would have excluded so long from the list of the classics of India" [Peterson). "Much bloodshed would have been avoided and Europe would have been spared infinite misery, if during the last years Somadeva's wise rule had always been followed - Military authorities should not be authorities in (political) counsels" (M. Winternitz]. "He is one of the most versatile talents in the history of Indian literature, and his masterpiece Yasastilaka reveals the manifold aspects of his genius. He is a master of prose and verse, a profound scholar with a wellstocked memory, an authority on Jaina dogma, and a critic of contemporary philosophical systems. He is a close student of the art of the government, and in this respect his Yaśastilaka and Nitivākyamệta supplement each other. He is a redactor of ancient folktale and religious stories and at times shows himself an adept in dramatic dialogue.
4.9. Last but not least, he is a keen observer of men and manners. The position of Sõmadēva is, indeed, unique in Sanskrit literature. [K. K. Handiqui]. his poems disprove the general misconception that Jaina works are a literature of philosophy and religion and establish that Jaina poems are of pure literature.
3.
Jain Education International
For Private & Personal Use Only
www.jainelibrary.org
